From the ground, you can see them for miles. From high above, they look like a row of stitches. At a single upstate New York wind farm, there are dozens of wind turbines spanning thousands of acres. Atop a 500-foot tower, massive 144-foot blades turn, fitted on a huge hub turning a generator in a box the size of a city bus, weighing 60 tons. On a good day, they each produce enough electricity to power 3000 average homes. Yet few Americans ever....
During the final presidential debate in October, former Vice President Joe Biden ignited a storm of controversy when he called for the U.S. to transition away from oil and gas to clean energy sources. Given the large role oil and gas plays in Louisiana’s economy, many people here reacted with alarm, fearing that a Biden administration would hasten the demise of an industry that’s been almost synonymous with the state for over 100 years. As....
Lidar devices are being used more and more to conduct wind resource assessment, as an alternative to meteorological masts. This is because they have several advantages over the traditional measuring technology. Once a meteorological mast is installed, both the position and height of conventional anemometers are fixed, therefore limiting the measurements to certain locations and heights; Lidars easily overcome this inconvenience with their inheren....
The US wind sector has seen remarkable growth in the last five years, increasing from almost 75GW of installed capacity in 2015, to over 105GW at the end of 2019. But with growth comes growing pains. While the Production Tax Credit has fueled expansion by providing developers and manufacturers with the confidence to make longer-term investment decisions, it has also forced companies throughout the value chain to drive down their c....
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